A 65-year-old British woman told police in Portugal she tried to swim out to her passing cruise ship in the dark before being rescued by fishermen after four hours in the sea.

Felix Marques, harbour captain at Funchal port in the Madeira Islands, said Susan Brown told maritime police she and her husband decided on Saturday to fly home early from their cruise, which had stopped over in Madeira.

However, Mr Marques said Mrs Brown claimed to have lost sight of her husband at Funchal airport and had tried to swim back to the ship after she saw it sailing away, thinking he might have been on board.

Mr Marques said on Monday that Mrs Brown was taken to hospital with advanced hypothermia and is currently in a psychiatric ward.